Reviewing neonicotinoid detection with electroanalytical methods

Neonicotinoids, as the fastest-growing class of insecticides, currently account for over 25% of the global pesticide market. Their effectiveness in controlling a wide range of pests that pose a threat to croplands, home yards/gardens, and golf course greens cannot be denied. However, the extensive use of neonicotinoids has resulted in significant declines in nontarget organisms such as pollinators, insects, and birds. Furthermore, the potential chronic, sublethal effects of these compounds on human health remain largely unknown. To address these pressing issues, it is crucial to explore and understand the capabilities of electrochemical sensors in detecting neonicotinoid residues. Surprisingly, despite the increasing importance of this topic, no comprehensive review article currently exists in the literature. Therefore, our proposed review aims to bridge this gap by providing a thorough analysis of the use of electrochemical methods for neonicotinoid determination. In this review article, we will delve into various aspects of electrochemical analysis, including the influence of electrode materials, employed techniques, and the different types of electrode mechanisms utilized. By synthesizing and analysing the existing research in this field, our review will offer valuable insights and guidance to researchers, scientists, and policymakers alike.

Electrodeposition of silver onto carbon graphite and their catalysis properties toward thiamethoxam reduction: application in food and beverage samples

The purpose of this paper is the electrodeposition of silver particles on graphite electrode (Ag@GrCE) using chronoamperometry and the use of this electrode for the determination of thiamethoxam. The electrode was prepared by chronoamperometry and characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), EDX analysis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The obtained electrode exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity toward thiamethoxam reduction. The voltammetric response was linear as function of TXM concentration with a limit of detection around to 1.92 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. The proposed electrode was successfully used to analyze thiamethoxam residue in some food samples including orange and tomato juices.

Physiological effects of thiamethoxam on Zea mays and its electrochemical detection using a silver electrode

BACKGROUND

The aim of this work is the detection and quantification of bioaccumulated thiamethoxam (THM) in Zea mays at a silver electrode using square-wave voltammetry. Thiamethoxam bioaccumulation and plant development were followed for 10 days from germination to seedling growth. Germination rate, accumulation rate, root length, and plant length were used as indicators. All experiments were carried out using several concentrations of THM (5.0 × 10^-4 , 1.0 × 10^-3 , 5.0 × 10^-3 , 3.4 × 10^-2 and 5.0 × 10^-2 mol L^-1 ).

RESULTS

The results confirm that Zea mays was sensitive to this insecticide and that germination and growth inhibition were dose dependent. The efficiency and utility of the proposed method were discussed. The current intensity increases linearly with an increase in the THM bioaccumulated in Zea mays. After 10 days,the recovery results of the extraction of THM from zea Mayes samples spiked with different concentrations were encouraging. The detection and quantification limits were found to be 9.58 × 10^-6 mol L^-1 (3*SD/B) and 3.13 × 10^-5 mol L^-1 (10*SD/B). The precision was 2.67% for eight repetitions in a solution of 3.5 × 10^-4 mol L^-1 THM. Histological tests were also performed to confirm the effect of THM on the plant and showed that exposure to THM induced a net histological modification in the primary root tissue of Zea mays.

CONCLUSION

The use of THM can affect the quality of the plant crop yield, and its accumulation in edible plants could pose a potential risk for human and animal health if the insecticide intake were to exceed the recommended tolerable limits. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Electrochemical detection of thiamethoxam in food samples based on Co3O4 Nanoparticle@Graphitic carbon nitride composite

Thiamethoxam is a class of neonicotinoid insecticide widely used in agriculture. Due to their high water solubility, thiamethoxam can be transported to surface waters and have the potential to be toxic to human life. Herein, a simple and robust method is presented for the detection of thiamethoxam based on hydrothermally synthesized nanoparticles of cobalt oxide into the graphitic carbon nitride composite (Co₃O₄@g-C₃N₄ NC). The materials were well characterized by XRD, FT-IR, XPS, FESEM, HRTEM, EDX, and UV-vis which provide crystalline nature, structure, and composition. The impedance measurement shows an intimate electrode/electrolyte interface by casting Co₃O₄@g-C₃N₄ onto a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE), delivering an interfacial resistance as low as 12.5 Ωcm². The cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry measurements exhibit the nanocomposite as a superior electrocatalyst for the electrochemical detection of thiamethoxam and achieved a low detection limit of 4.9 nM with a wide linear range of 0.01-420 μM. The present work also demonstrates a promising strategy for electrochemical detection of thiamethoxam in real samples such as potato and brown rice.

Electrocatalytic activity of the metallic silver electrode for thiamethoxam reduction: application for the detection of a neonicotinoid in tomato and orange samples

BACKGROUND

Thiamethoxam (3-[(2-chloro-5-thiazolyl)methyl]tetrahydro-5-methyl-N-nitro-4H-1,3,5-oxadiazin-4-imine) belongs to a relatively new class of insecticides known as neonicotinoids, which can block irreversibly nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of the nervous system of insects. Its determination at trace levels is an acute analytical problem. Therefore, chromatography, spectroscopy, and electrochemical technics were reported. These last have several advantages (simple sensitive and less expensive). This work investigated the electro-reduction of Thiamethoxam using simple and rapid method in real samples using metallic silver electrode.

RESULTS

Silver particles, known as effective catalysts in the reduction of nitro groups, were studied to explore their roles in the shift of thiamethoxam peak potential. Cyclic voltammetry, Tafel plot and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis suggest that metallic silver electrodes have a significantly greater electrocatalytic activity in thiamethoxam electroreduction than glassy carbon electrodes and carbon paste electrodes. The electrocatalytic activity of metallic silver electrodes in thiamethoxam reduction was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. A linear variation in cathodic current with the square root of the scan rate was observed, suggesting that the process is diffusion controlled. Several supporting electrolytes were tested, and the best results were obtained with Britton-Robinson (BR) buffer, pH 10.4. A linear relationship between peak current and concentration was found in the range from 1.0 × 10^-5 to 1.0 × 10^-4  mol L^-1 using square wave voltammetry (SWV) with a correlation coefficient of 0.994. The detection limit and quantification limit were 5.49 × 10^-6 and 1.83 × 10^-5  mol L^-1 , respectively.

CONCLUSION

Silve metallic electrode exhibits efficient catalytic activity towards the Thiamethoxam reduction. The proposed electrode was then used for the determination of thiamethoxam in tomato anad orage juice samples. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Voltammetry Determination of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II) at Bismuth Film Electrode Combined with 8-Hydroxyquinoline as a Complexing Agent

A novel method was developed for the simultaneous determination of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II) based on the cathodic stripping response at a bismuth film electrode associated with oxine as a chelating agent. The developed method provided a high and sharp electrochemical response compared with the method without oxine. A linear response of peak currents was observed for Pb(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II) concentration in the range from 2 ppb to 110 ppb. The detection limits of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II) were 0.45, 0.17, and 0.78 ppb, respectively. This method was successfully applied to the determination of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II) in lake-water and river-water samples. The metals were detected at the ultratrace level, showing the feasibility of the proposed method for environmental applications.

A rapid electrochemical monitoring platform for sensitive determination of thiamethoxam based on β-cyclodextrin-graphene composite

A rapid monitoring platform for sensitive voltammetric detection of thiamethoxam residues is reported in the present study. A β-cyclodextrin-reduced graphene oxide composite was used as a reinforcing material in electrochemical determination of thiamethoxam. Compared with bare glassy carbon electrodes, the reduction peak currents of thiamethoxam at reduced graphene oxide/glassy carbon electrode and β-cyclodextrin-reduced graphene oxide/glassy carbon electrode were increased by 70- and 124-fold, respectively. The experimental conditions influencing voltammetric determination of thiamethoxam, such as the amount of β-cyclodextrin-reduced graphene oxide, solution pH, temperature, and accumulation time, were optimized. The reduction mechanism and binding affinity of this material is also discussed. Under optimal conditions, the reduction peak currents increased linearly between 0.5 µM and 16 µM concentration of thiamethoxam. The limit of detection was 0.27 µM on the basis of a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. When the proposed method was applied to brown rice in a recovery test, the recoveries were between 92.20% and 113.75%. The results were in good concordance with the high-performance liquid chromatography method. The proposed method therefore provides a promising and effective platform for sensitive and rapid determination of thiamethoxam. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1991-1997. © 2017 SETAC.

A facile molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor based on graphene: application to the selective determination of thiamethoxam in grain

In this study, we report a facile method for the preparation of molecularly imprinted polymer based graphene for the electrochemical detection of thiamethoxam residue.

Metallic modified (bismuth, antimony, tin and combinations thereof) film carbon electrodes

In this paper in situ bismuth, antimony, tin modified electrodes and combinations thereof are explored towards the model target analytes cadmium(II) and lead(II), chosen since they are the most widely studied, to explore the role of the underlying electrode substrate with respect to boron-doped diamond, glassy carbon, and screen-printed graphite electrodes. It is found that differing electrochemical responses are observed, dependent upon the underlying electrode substrate. The electrochemical response using the available range of metallic modifications is only ever observed when the underlying electrode substrate exhibits relatively slow electron transfer properties; in the case of fast electron transfer properties, no significant advantages are evident. Furthermore these bismuth modified systems which commonly employ a pH 4 acetate buffer, reported to ensure the bismuth(III) stability upon the electrode surface can create create a problem when sensing at low concentrations of heavy metals due to its high background current. It is demonstrated that a simple change of pH can allow the detection of the target analytes (cadmium(II) and lead(II)) at levels below that set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) using bare graphite screen-printed electrodes.

Voltammetric Behavior of Testosterone on Bismuth Film Electrode: Highly Sensitive Determination in Pharmaceuticals and Human Urine by Square‐Wave Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry

In this paper, an electrochemical application of bismuth‐film electrode (BiFE) fabricated via ex‐situ electrodeposition onto a glassy carbon electrode for testosterone determination was investigated in aqueous and aqueous/surfactant solutions. In cyclic voltammetry, the compound showed one irreversible and adsorption‐controlled reduction peak. The BiFE revealed good linear response in the examined concentration range of 1 to 45 nmol L−1 testosterone in BrittonRobinson buffer, pH 5.0 containing 3 mmol L−1 cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. The limit of detection was 0.3 nmol L−1 (0.09 ng mL−1). Finally, the BiFE was satisfactorily applied for quantitation of testosterone in both pharmaceutical (oil‐based ampoule) and biological (human urine) samples.

Cathodic stripping voltammetry of clothianidin: Application to environmental studies

A new, rapid and very sensitive electrochemical method for the determination of a new pesticide clothianidin in tap and river water was developed. The electrochemical reduction and determination of clothianidin have been carried out at a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) in various aqueous solutions in the pH range of 2–10 by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and cathodic stripping square wave voltammetry (SW CSV). The best results were obtained for the clothianidin determination by SW CSV method in 0.04 mol l–1 Britton Robinson buffer at pH 8.1. Various conditions of the procedure were checked. Elaborated electroanalytical procedure enable clothianidin determination in the concentration range of 2.0 × 10–8–9.9 × 10–7 mol l–1. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were obtained as 2.00 × 10–9 and 2.36 × 10–8 mol l–1, respectively. Precision and accuracy of the developed method were checked by recovery studies in spiked tap and river water. The voltammetric determination has been validated using HPLC with UV detection.

Voltammetric determination of the neonicotinoid insecticide thiamethoxam using a tricresyl phosphate-based carbon paste electrode

The objective of the work was to investigate the possibility of using a tricresyl phosphate-based carbon paste electrode for the direct voltammetric determination of the neonicotinoid insecticide thiamethoxam. The analyte was determined by differential pulse voltammetry in Britton-Robinson buffer pH 7.0 in the concentration range of 3.72 - 41.5 ?g mL-1. The reproducibility of the analytical signal at the 7.29 ?g mL-1 level was characterized by a relative standard deviation of 1.3 %. The applicability of the developed method was evaluated by determining thiamethoxam in a river water sample and a commercial formulation Actara 25 WG.

Disposable mercury-free cell-on-a-chip devices with integrated microfabricated electrodes for the determination of trace nickel(II) by adsorptive stripping voltammetry

This work reports the fabrication of disposable three-electrode cells with integrated sputtered metal-film electrodes. The working electrode was a bismuth-film electrode (BiFE) while the reference and counter electrodes were made of Ag and Pt, respectively. The deposition of the metal layers was carried out by sputtering of the respective metals on a silicon substrate while the exact geometry of the electrodes was defined via a metal mask placed on the substrate during the deposition process. Initially, the electrodes were characterised by cyclic voltammetry. The utility of these devices was tested for the trace determination of Ni(II) by square wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry (SWAdSV) after complexation with dimethylglyoxime (DMG). The experimental variables (the presence of oxygen, the DMG concentration, the preconcentration potential, the accumulation time and the SW parameters), as well as potential interferences, were investigated. Using the selected conditions, the 3sigma limit of detection was 100 ng L(-1) for Ni(II) (for 90 s of preconcentration) and the relative standard deviation for Ni(II) was 2.3% at the 10 microg L(-1) level (n=8). Finally, the method was applied to the determination of Ni(II) in a certified river water sample.

Determination of various insecticides and pharmaceuticals using differently modified glassy carbon electrodes

The applicability of differently modified glassy carbon (GC) electrodes for direct or indirect determinations of various physiologically active compounds (insecticides and pharmaceuticals) in different formulations and some real samples was investigated. Samples of selected insecticides from the group of neonicotinoids with nitroguanidine (thiamethoxam and imidacloprid), cyanoimine (acetamiprid) and nitromethilene (nitenpyram) fragments, prepared in an appropriate manner, were determined by voltammetry on bare and surface-modified GC electrodes, while in the case of pharmaceuticals such as Trodon and Akineton, the chloride anion titration was followed using bare GC and phosphorus doped (P-GC) electrodes. The P-GC was also used to monitor the chloride content in the photocatalytic degradation of the (4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)acetic acid herbicide. It was found that apart from the nature of the electrode material, the analyte and supporting electrolyte, as well as the pretreatment of the electrode surface essentially influences the applicability of the employed sensors.